Chalk it up to one big learning experience and something to build on for 20-something driving phenom Bradley Riethmeyer.

Riethmeyer, the 2005 All-American Driver Challenge (AADC) winner, came up a fraction of a second short in his bid to qualify for the Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway last weekend in The All-American Driver Challenge No. 49 Dodge. The race would have been 22-year-old Riethmeyer's first-ever NASCAR event.

After posting some impressive times during Friday morning's practice session and ranking in the top half of the 40-car field, Riethmeyer entered the evening qualifying session in the AADC, Unique Pizza and Subs co-sponsored No. 49 truck with high expectations. However, early in his qualifying run, the brakes failed and he was forced to complete his lap with no way of slowing the truck down for Martinsville's tight corners. Despite the brake issues, Riethmeyer turned a lap in 20.766 seconds and just missed qualifying for the 36th and final spot by .192 seconds. Had Riethmeyer been able to back up his times from practice, he would have qualified in the top 25.

"I am disappointed that we didn't get a chance to race on Saturday and show everybody what this team is capable of," said Riethmeyer. "We had some great practice runs in the morning session and I was confident heading into qualifying. The guys at AADC have been very supportive of me and hopefully we'll get another opportunity in the Truck Series before the season is over."

"Unfortunately, these kinds of things are part of racing," said Brian Moates, Executive Director of the AADC. "We'll move on and learn from this. But we're all very encouraged by Bradley's performance during his practice runs. He showed great composure under extreme circumstances and he's poised for future success. I'd like to thank Robert Richardson Racing and Unique Pizza and Subs for helping make this opportunity possible."

Riethmeyer, a full-time college student at Texas A&M just a year ago, was the inaugural winner of the AADC, a national grassroots driver search and competition program. Bradley began qualifying rounds at a Houston go-karting facility in the summer of 2005 and emerged as the fastest qualifier. Prior to entering The AADC, Riethmeyer, who hails from Hutto, Tex., had all but given up his professional racing aspirations after the cost of running late model cars became too expensive. But nine months later, after advancing from the top 100 drivers in the semi-finals at John Andretti's facility in Atlanta, he was crowned champion over nine other finalists at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. His prize was a fully-paid contract to drive in the 2006 USAC Carolina/Virginia Midget Series.

Riethmeyer made an immediate impact in the Midgets Series by winning the first event of the season in April. He went on to claim two victories in ten races and finished an impressive third in the final point standings, opening the eyes of Robert Richardson Racing and positioning himself to jump behind the wheel of the No. 49 truck.

To capitalize on the buzz around Riethmeyer's Craftsman Truck Series debut, open qualifying for the second year of the AADC is being extended through November 15th (all Challengers must be registered by October 31st). This year's winner of the Driver Challenge will again receive an all-expenses-paid contract to drive in the 2007 USAC Carolina Ford Focus Midget Series and a partial schedule in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series.

The AADC is a driver search and competition that is geared toward fostering the best up-and-coming talent for a future career in a professional American racing series. All aspiring racecar drivers between the ages of 15 and 23 are invited to enter the AADC and earn their way to becoming the next American racing hero. Interested racers can go online to www.allamericandriver.com to register for the Driver Challenge (includes a $300 registration fee). Once registered, Challengers will go to one of 30 approved go-karting facilities across the country and begin running their qualifying laps.

Here's how the competition works:

Entrants will run their qualifying laps at one of the Driver Challenge affiliate karting facilities. Driver Challenge officials will average each entrant's top 100 laps.

The top three Challengers from each karting facility will be chosen to advance to the semifinals in Atlanta, GA, February 2nd-4th 2007, where they will be judged in the following six (6) areas:

• Driving talent
• Communication skills
• Media presence
• Physical fitness
• Personal character
• Mental acuity

The top 10 Challengers will advance to the final round in Hickory, N.C. in March 2007. An elite panel of racing industry judges will award The All-American Driver Challenge Champion. The All-American Driver Challenge was developed to find talented young drivers and provide them with a unique opportunity to begin a racing career in USAC. Challenge winners will be developed for the opportunity to advance to higher levels of racing including the USAC™ National Midget, Silver Crown™, Sprint and NASCAR Late Model Weekly Racing Series. The All-American Driver Challenge is presented by Calico Coatings and other participating sponsors and endorsed by USAC. For more information on The All-American Driver Challenge, please visit http://www.allamericandriver.com.